Revelation at Café Grandpa (A Post-Story One-shot)
by ZeonTwoSix
Summary: This story tackles the supposed "tea date" between Keima and Chihiro that was mentioned in FLAG 268, but with a bit of a dramatic and comedic twist to it. And a character that nobody expected...


**TWGOK Post-Story One-Shot: Revelation at Café Grandpa**

x-x-x-x-x

"Chihiro, are you positive about this?"

"Why so worried, Keima? It's just any other cafe, after all. And they do serve special tea there, right?"

"I know that but... why there, of all places?"

"Quit complaining and keep up, Keima. I only got until 9 PM tonight before my mom enforces curfew."

x-x-x-x-x

It was about five in the afternoon when the two arrived at the place where Chihiro planned to have tea with him. The ambience was quite serene, with the light of the sunset basking the said place in soft light, and casting a beautiful silhouette.

Unfortunately for Keima, he could not bear the fact that of all the cafes in Maijima, she had to pick the one place that he never expected she would pick...

The Katsuragi Family's "Café Grandpa."

"Well, your mom I can understand," Keima replied. "But what about my mom? How do you think she will react?" Chihiro instead gave a light sigh and proceeded to the front door, not even minding what he said.

The hanging bell at the door rang as Chihiro entered the cafe. She had been in Keima's house a few times already, but never on a light moment such as today. And never through the cafe's front door. She chanced upon the circular table in between the two square ones, and immediately sat near the table adorned with picture frames.

Meanwhile, Keima was still outside the cafe carrying the box of PFPs towards the front door of his house. He merely placed them inside near the door and proceeded to his room.

"That Chihiro... She's just too unpredictable. I have to think of something..."

Just then, Eri appeared at the doorway, having finished cleaning the top floor. "Welcome home, nii-sama. Have you "finished your game" yet?"

"Sort of, Eri..."

Keima immediately left his room, leaving his bag near his gaming couch. "By the way, was that Chihiro inside the cafe right now, nii-sama?"

"Yeah. And I need to get there quickly.."

x-x-x-x-x

Back with Chihiro, she was keeping herself busy by jotting down things on her notebook. All while being mesmerized by the simple beauty of the café.

Just then, a young woman with bright orange hair tied into a bun approached her with a small paper pad and a ballpoint pen.

"Good afternoon, miss. Welcome to Café Grandpa. May I take your order?"

Chihiro then looked at the sweets part of the menu. "I'll have a serving of chocolate chiffon cake and some hot Black Tea, please."

"Okay. We'll have it served in a few minutes..."

Just then, Keima appeared from the other door connecting his house to the cafe. This prompted the woman with the booklet to approach him.

"Mom, mind if I handle her orders?"

"That's surprising of you, Keima," Mari replied. "I'll get the cake ready while you deal with the tea. Still, why the sudden interest?"

She then turned to the customer she spoke with earlier, who apparently is the last and only customer they have for today. "Wait a minute, she's from Maijima Academy; is she your classmate?"

Keima let off a light blush, unable to look at his mother directly.

"Um, actually... She's..."

Trying to keep herself busy, Mari brought out the chocolate chiffon cake from the fridge and placed it on the countertop. As she was picking up a plate from the countertop, Keima struggled to finish his sentence...

"... my gir... gir..."

Until finally, he took a deep breath and...

"Girlfriend..."

At that point, Mari lost grip of the plate and dropped the same by accident. Luckily, it only made a light thud on the countertop. A relatively long silence followed before she could respond accordingly by slowly turning her head to her son, with soft, sparkling tears on her eyes.

"Really, Keima?!"

"Mom, you don't have to exaggerate things like this," Keima uttered while sporting what appears to be a slightly annoyed face. "I'm already 17, so it's just normal."

"But to have my son, who's been so engrossed with his dating sims for nearly all his life, finally getting a real-life girlfriend of his own... Awawawawa~" she fangirled.

Keima could not exactly respond properly to his mother's fawning, save for a light sigh. "Anyways, I'm getting the tea done, mom..."

"Mind if I help out, nii-sama?" Eri propped her head into the doorway. Mari, however, decided that the two of them 'have the moment for themselves', so...

"Let's just get back inside the house now, Eri. Your brother can handle things here; that okay with you Keima?"

"Um, how about her-"

"You don't need to ask payment for that; tell her it's on the house. Just make sure to escort her home, okay?" she clarified to her son, while wearing the most heartwarming smile on her face.

"Uh... right. Thanks, mother..."

x-x-x-x-x

A few minutes later, Keima brought to his guest two cups of Black tea and a couple slices of chocolate chiffon. He then placed one of the slices in a smaller plate and gave the same to Chihiro, as he put down the remaining cake at the center.

"Say Keima, that woman who took my order just now... Was she..." she inquired before taking a smaller slice of her chiffon cake.

"My mother? Yeah..."

"I never thought she'd be that beautiful up close," she commented, which made Mari (who apparently took a small peek at her son's date) smile a bit.

"Well, she was known as one of the most beautiful bikers around during her heyday..."

"Your mom was a biker before?"

"Yup. She had the nickname _'Yuki-Onna no Yamato__' _back then among her peers in the biker gang she was in, as her beauty was just as unmatched as her skills behind the handlebars. She may have mellowed down ever since she met my father, but she hasn't lost her touch, and she still isn't afraid to let loose when necessary."

"Wow... no wonder you were so worried about introducing me to her..."

The atmosphere was a bit uneasy for Keima. A lot of firsts has just piled up right in his face, and he's at his most socially vulnerable, having a light conversation with the very same girl he that he once dumped during the Mai-High festival eve, and that he, in a classic example of irony, confessed his love to.

Still, he was not about to let his inhibitions get the best of him since, as he said to himself countless times 'reality is nothing more than a crappy game, but one that he's obliged to play anyway.'

"That aside though, Chihiro... can you tell me what had happened right after the festival? At least for the past few weeks that I've been gone..."

"Well, just the usual school scene, I suppose. Everyone still having hangovers from the festival, new relationships blossoming, a couple of old ones coming to an end..."

Both went silent after she finished her statement. She then took another bite of her chiffon cake before washing it down with a sip of Black Tea.

"I never thought I'd say this, but this has to be the best-tasting tea I've had in ages!" she commented. "How do you make it this delicious?"

"It's a family secret that only my mom and I know," he sheepishly replied. "Today's batch though is slightly different from what the cafe usually serves, although I was not that much hands-on with making them..."

She then looked at Keima out of curiosity, while the latter had a bit of a blush on his cheeks.

"... Until today, that is..."

"_You _made this just... just for me?" He nodded in response, causing Chihiro to blush as well.

"I was not actually expecting you to be making such an exquisite spot of tea. Our classmates were definitely not bluffing when they told me that they praised your coffee during the festival..."

"And here I thought they were just exaggerating things..."

x-x-x-x-x

Meanwhile, back at the living room, Mari was busy searching for a certain file in her computer. "I knew I placed that file in this pc somewhere..."

"Something the matter, mom?" Eri asked while cleaning up the living room.

"I'm just looking for that video file I took during the sports fest. I want to confirm something..."

Surely enough, she found that video clip that she was looking for. She then forwarded to the three-legged race segment of the video - the same one that Keima and Chihiro participated in together.

All while fawning at how adorable they were...

x-x-x-x-x

Meanwhile, back at the cafe...

"Okay, Keima; say "A~ah!"

"Do I really have to have a bite of the cake?"

"Come on, don't be such a killjoy."

Keima looked rather worryingly at the piece of chocolate chiffon that Chihiro had taken from the other slice brought in, more so of the fact that she's waving it about like how a mother feeds her infant child with a baby spoon.

"You do know that I'm not into sweets, Chihiro..." he replied with an annoyed expression on his face.

"I do, actually. But I may never get the chance to do this again. And besides, It has been a while since I got to see that annoyed face of yours..." she replied, with a cat grin on her face.

He then breathed a sigh, and reluctantly submitted to her request. All while she maintained her facial expression on, knowing that she actually got to spoon-feed a piece of cake to the guy she's on a date with, just like in those romance novels she had been reading recently.

Keima however won't let her get the best of him that easily. He picked up the fork she used, took a bite-sized piece of what remained in the chiffon, then held it in front of her face.

"Your turn then..." he insisted, surprising Chihiro who has just finished her cup of black tea.

"But I'm already full from my slice of the cake minutes ago."

"No fair!" exclaimed Keima. "You forced me to take a bite of that cake! I'm just returning the favor."

"Eeeeh?"

Just then, both heard a knock on the cafe's front door. "Say Keima, I thought your cafe only stays open until six..."

Keima looked at the clock which read 6:30 PM, clearly beyond the café's usual. "Has Mom forgot to flip the door-mounted sign again?"

He stood up and approached the front door. Just as he was about to flip the sign to "closed", he peered over through the door's small window and noticed... A veeeery familiar face...

"Tenri? What is she doing here now?" He then chanced upon a small box she was carrying, what looks like fresh vegetables.

"I guess it's the right opportunity. i just hope she brought it with her..." And with that he opened the door.

"Go... Good evening, Keima-kun... I hope I'm not interrupting anything..."

"Not at all, Tenri," he calmly responded. "Why don't you come in..."

"Oh, you need not bother that much, Keima-kun. Mom just want to give these veggies to your mom since we got a lot of them from the countryside days ago.

"Please, Tenri... I insist..."

Obediently, the girl with twin hair bows entered the cafe and chanced upon Keima's sole guest. Expectedly, both their eyes met, but surprisingly there was no air of tension between them.

"A friend of yours, Keima?" Chihiro asked, to which he nodded in response.

"Her name's Ayukawa Tenri. She is one of our neighbors here and a childhood friend of mine. She was also one of my classmates back at Maijima East Elementary."

"So... You two were in the same primary school as me? Wow," she commented. "And here I thought it was just Ayumi and I who studied there."

"A pleasure to finally meet you, Chihiro-san," Tenri replied. "I have heard quite a lot about you from Keima-kun..."

"Really..."

Keima guided Tenri to the seat he previously used, before taking another seat from the nearby table and positioning himself at the side, between the girls.

_(Suggested BGM_: "StarRingChild" by Aimer _[OST - Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn Episode 7: Over The Rainbow])_

"Tenri, did you bring 'that' by chance?" he asked.

"The ones you gave to me ten years ago?" Keima nodded in response.

She then brought out three letters from her pocket and gave the first and last to Keima. He then gave the first one to Chihiro. "Remember the time when I asked for your help in 'conquering' Ayumi?"

This surprised her a bit, but with a sense of confusion as to his question. "Why did you bring that up now?"

"The first letter I gave you will explain how Tenri here got involved. It may be a bit confusing at first, but please do bear with it."

x-x-x-x-x-x

_To Tenri, No.1:_

_There is something that I need to tell you. Read the second note only after you have finished reading this one. As for the third, note, read that much later… When you and I have met once again…_

_I came from the far future. I am Katsuragi Keima from ten years hence. I have come here to fight against the devils._

_There is something I need to defeat the devils. That something is your strength, Tenri. Without your help, I won't be able to do anything._

_Tenri, you must open the door. You and I will participate in the school trip tomorrow. That is when everything will begin…_

x-x-x-x-x-x

"School trip… You mean that trip ten years ago when an earthquake hit Maijima?" Both Keima and Tenri nodded in response.

"Back then I had no recollection as to what had happened during the earthquake since I was eventually knocked out cold. But-"

Before Keima could continue though, a white light briefly engulfed Tenri. As it faded, a yellow halo could be seen floating above her head.

"But it was only a decade later when he realized what had really happened to him as he met Tenri again, who was now carrying me within her…"

"Wait, aren't you one of those girls who were sitting in the scaffolding at the Maijima Concert stage during the festival?!" Chihiro pointed out, still surprised with what just transpired before her.

"Yes. My name is Diana; I am one of the mythical beings called the Jupiter Sisters who reside within the hearts of some of the women with whom Katsuragi-san had previously 'conquered'."

"Okay," Chihiro commented. "Now I'm getting all confused as this 'conquering' thing, Keima. Care to explain yourself?"

"Alright then…"

He brought out a few clean sheets of paper and began drawing figures which made basic sense to everyone about his side of the story, from the time he was contracted into capturing runaway spirits, up until the days before the Mai-High Festival. As always, his sketches were a lot sketchier than the 2D girls he engrosses himself into most of the time, but it was legible enough to convey to Chihiro the gist of his routine.

"Well, basically I got what you're talking about as to this 'conquest' business you got yourself into. Just answer me this, Keima…" She then looked at him with serious eyes, as if she's desperate to get a proper reply from him before she could even consider continuing this newly-rebuilt relationship with him.

"Back then, after you have "re-conquered" Ayumi and awakened who I presume as one of Diana's "sisters", I asked you if there was something inside of me as well. How much of it is the truth?"

Keima maintained his composure then took a deep breath.

"Back then, you really had nothing inside of you. But that did not mean that you never became a vessel for a runaway spirit…" He then turned to Tenri, who had just switched back with Diana, and told her, "I think it's time we reveal 'that part' of the last letter."

"Are you sure about this, Keima-kun?" she asked as he gave her a small table mirror so that Diana can join the conversation.

"No need to be worried, Tenri," her angelic friend replied. "I'm sure he has his reasons for this…"

With that she gave her approval, prompting Keima to finally give a small portion of the third letter to his first guest.

x-x-x-x-x-x

_**Conquest no.6: **__Kosaka Chihiro_

_Born: December 3__rd_

_Blood Type: O_

_Height: 168 cm_

_Weight: 50 kg_

_Favorite Food: Lawsan's Special Meat Buns_

_Frequent Companions: Takahara Ayumi and Terada Miyako_

_Hangouts: Classroom, Light Music Club Room, Lawsan's convenience store_

_Usual Hobbies: Reading magazines, confessing to boys at random (pre-conquest), playing the guitar, composing original songs (post-conquest)_

_Chihiro is one of those girls who I considered long ago as a "background character" in galge: no peculiarities, no defining attributes, not even a trace of aspiration thereof. But only when she became a possessor of a runaway spirit, which made me have a surprising epiphany about her._

_She was apparently looking for someone who shined; someone who, in her words, "let her shine along with him." During her initial conquest, I was forced to admit to her that she was the only one who could put me down with her independent character, of which I gave an "S-rank". I then reminded her that she can still shine in her own way as long as she wills it._

_I also assured her that I will be there to help her whenever she loses faith… after snapping her off of her frustrations with a kiss._

_I thought that with her 'conquered', she would not remember me. What I did not anticipate was the biggest revelation, which occurred during my mission to revive the Goddesses, which shook my entire life to the core: She actually longed for me, way before her conquest mission. _

_Unfortunately, since I discovered such fact in a very crucial moment, all I could do to keep her from harms way was to say something harsh. I ended up broken that night, but had to soldier on with the last re-conquest. And even after that fateful night, she got involved anyway since the target was her best friend Ayumi; it left me no choice but to protect them both._

_The night of the final day of the Festival, I ended up grieving alone out of regret. Regret that I never got a chance to apologize to her for my actions during the eve. _

_(Refer to last part of the letter for continuation…)_

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"Um, what gives? Why was this 'profile' of mine cut at the end?"

"Just read on, Chihiro…"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

_I have met many people during my conquests. All of them tried their hardest at this shitty game known as reality, searching for answers._

_They are my friends._

_Tenri, by the time you read this, you should have already been reunited with me. My behavior list should be the same as I wrote in the other letter, but unexpected events are unlikely to occur. If given a chance, I can select the correct choice._

_But right now, I cannot see the choices…_

_After the Mai-High festival, I was planning to throw everything away. I could have ended it with that. But I won't end it._

_I want to continue walking… like everybody else._

_Tenri, if you intend to continue walking even after you've made sure everything is in order, then please summon me back. For I intend to make amends with all of my friends whom I've dragged into this mess. Especially with the person who became my biggest influence in my inner growth as a person._

_The person who continues to fill me from within through "The Memory of my First Love…"_

_Which brings me to the eventual fate between you and me: Tenri, I will confirm this one last time…_

_There won't be an ending between you and I…_

_After everything is settled, we will go our separate ways. But never lose hope, for I know a bright future will eventually come for you and the other girls one way or the other. For it's all about believing in the possibility within oneself to achieve through your own efforts that "Happy End…" _

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

_(End BGM)_

It was already seven o'clock when the three eventually left the café, with Keima locking the door from the front. Even with the reveal of the letters, Chihiro was still a bit bothered by the fact that he did all those things long ago. So, while the former was busy with the door, she turned towards Tenri.

"Pardon me for raising this now, but are you sure you do not wish to pursue him, even after ten whole years of waiting for him for a positive response to your affections?"

She expected Tenri to be a bit shaken with her question, but to her surprise the latter nodded without a flinch. "As much as I love Keima-kun, I believe it's for his own sake that I have to let go. After all, he still is his own person, and I cannot just force myself over him…"

"To be honest Tenri, I would have done the very same thing and left him to be himself if I were in your shoes. His stubbornness sometime is that single factor that lures us over to him, one way or the other," Chihiro uttered, while letting off a sincere smile. "Tell you what though…"

She then whispered something to Tenri, as Keima approached them. "Is there something that I missed while I was busy with the door?"

"Are you sure about this, Chihiro-san?" Tenri worryingly asked. The former just smiled, as if she was alright with it, as the latter approached Keima.

"Let me have at least this 'parting gift', Keima-kun…"

"Parting gi-"

And to his surprise, Tenri stole a five-second kiss from Keima. By the time she finished, there left a rather cute smile on her face, and a confused look on Keima's, as the former waved both him and Chihiro goodbye.

"That's one issue settled then," Chihiro declared. "Shall we go, Keima?"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x

A few minutes have passed, and the two are now nearing the Kosaka residence. IT was roughly thirty past seven, and Keima apparently haven't asked Chihiro about what just happened back at Café Grandpa's front door.

"Um... Chihiro, mind if I ask what you told Tenri that made her do what she did back then?"

"I only told her that I'd allow her to have a proper closure to her affections for you. I just did not expect her to give you a kiss," she sheepishly replied.

"Then why did you not react?"

"Let's just say I understood how she felt. Aaand that I'd do the very same thing if I was in her position…"

"You do have to watch your actions next time, okay?" he reminded her, as they got near the front gate where, apparently, Chihiro's mother just exited from the front door.

"Um… I'll be going now…"

"Wait up!"

The woman on the front door approached the gate as her daughter entered through it. "Well I was about to call you up Chihiro, but I guess that was not necessary anymore." She then turned her attention towards the latter's male companion.

"And you must be… her "Boyfriend?""

Her statement eventually shocked both of them, more so Keima who never expected her mother to deduce the same that quick. "Not to worry, dear. Seeing as you're quite cute and the fact that my daughter here has been telling me about you, I won't mind. I do appreciate your effort in walking my daughter home," she said, while letting off a light giggle at their expressions.

"Since it's already nighttime, want to come in for dinner, dear?"

"Um… I appreciate the thought Mrs. Kosaka, but I'm afraid I have to leave; I still have to help out my mother in cleaning the café."

"I see… Then I'll leave the two of you for a short while so you can say goodbye for today," she responded with a smile on her face, as she went back inside the house, leaving the two of them alone.

"I never thought your mom would be a nice person..." He then turned to Chihiro, who approached him...

… And flicked one of her fingers at his forehead.

"OW! What was that for?"

"That was for reminding me that it was you who rode with me to where Ayumi was back when we were kids."

She then followed it up with another flick…

"That was for revealing to me and Ayumi that you were cross-dressing…"

… And a fist hammer strike on top.

"That was for stealing my bike!"

Keima was left seated on the ground, rubbing his forehead from the finger flicks. Then to his surprise, Chihiro lowered her head, held him by his left cheek and…

"And this… is for treating me to a first date that I will never forget…"

-Chu!-

-oOo-


End file.
